1. Field
Embodiments of the present invention relate to the field of platform power delivery and management. In particular, some embodiments relate to the dynamic communication of information between power delivery and power management.
2. Discussion of Related Art
As the components of modern day computing systems continue to grow in functionality and complexity, computer designers and manufacturers are often faced with challenges associated with corresponding increases in energy consumption. For example, increased power consumption in a microprocessor tends to lead to a corresponding increase in temperature (which can negatively affect performance), increase the system's acoustic output (e.g. fan noise), and reduce battery life on mobile systems. Additionally, the energy available may be limited, and the efficiency at which power can be delivered to system components may vary significantly depending on the load and other conditions.
Existing models for communication between the platform management and resource delivery systems—for example between the processor and its voltage regulator and clock generator—typically rely on a limited set of hardware pins to control a discrete number of predetermined modes of operation. The predetermined modes of operation are coarse-grain, hard coded, and static. Therefore, the power usage is also hard coded and static and results in the inability to modify or shut down shared platform resources such as voltage regulators and clock generators without affecting all of the pins within the predetermined mode of operation. This further limits the frequency and scope of the interactions between the platform management and resource delivery systems.